Embiid, Wemby or… a draftee? Which African player will dominate the NBA season?

Will Joel Embiid finally win his first NBA championship? Can Victor Wembanyama go from rookie of the year to front-runner for a championship contender? Will a draftee become a breakout star in the coming months?

We’ve done our best to answer all of this and more ahead of the new season, which begins on October 23rd at 12:30 a.m. CAT (October 22nd in the US) when the Boston Celtics take on the New York Knicks in the TD Garden received.

Several African players will be in action right from the start. However, some will have more eyes on them than others – while emerging talent is ready to take their profile to the next level.

Is a ring awaiting Embiid?

One could argue that the African player who has the most to prove this season is Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), although one could just as easily argue that he has already proven enough.

Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Embiid has surpassed the wildest dreams of even those who believed in him most. Joe Touomou, now the assistant technical director of the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal, was one of the coaches who discovered Embiid and convinced his family to let him play basketball and convinced them of the education that could enable him to do so.

However, even Touomou admitted that he couldn’t imagine Embiid becoming MVP. Now that he is aware of his former prodigy’s full potential, he has tipped him to go even further.

“I keep telling coaches and people in the basketball circle that Joel is improving every year,” Touomou told ESPN earlier this year after Embiid scored 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

“Firstly, he is healthy and in the best shape of his life, which is very good. His confidence is growing tremendously, his understanding of the game and his opponents’ weaknesses is at its highest and he is continually working on his skills.

“Not only does he want to show the world that he is the most dominant player in the world, but he is also eager to win a championship for the city of Philadelphia. When you put it all together, you can see why he performs at such a high level.”

Although Embiid struggled with injury issues last season and was affected by Bell’s palsy during the NBA playoffs, much of what Touomou said still applies today.

However, Embiid has yet to win that first elusive championship for the 76ers. His legacy as one of the NBA’s all-time greats is cemented, but there’s no doubt he’ll be relentless in his pursuit of winning a ring.

Wemby and the usual suspects

Another player looking to make the step from an award-winning individual player to a player who can lead a team to glory is Victor Wembanyama.

French international Wemby – whose father Félix Wembanyama is Congolese – was the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and lived up to the hype by winning NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the San Antonio Spurs.

However, from a team perspective, it was a dismal season. Not much is expected from the San Antonio Spurs this season either, so there is less pressure on the 7-foot-3 center than on Embiid.

Bam Adebayo, who is of Nigerian descent in his father’s family, will also be looking to win a championship for the Miami Heat, but they are not one of the dream teams this season either. However, star center Adebayo is in his prime and could change the odds.

Greek-Nigerian striker Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) is more likely to be one of the contenders for a championship this season. Since he’s already won everything there is to win in this game, fans probably won’t expect him as much as Embiid.

Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) already won the championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, but is not yet the leader of a championship team. For the Indiana Pacers, he and Tyrese Haliburton are among the stars that will be counted on the most.

The heir apparent

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-born Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t yet have the same star power as players like Embiid, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. However, last season signaled that he is ready to handle a changing of the guard with the Golden State Warriors and take on the responsibilities of a senior player.

Warriors small forward Kuminga promised in an interview with ESPN before last season that “this coming season is definitely the year.” He fulfilled that promise with a career-high average of 16.1 points per game in the regular season.

However, he has yet to lead a team to the playoffs. Of course, given that he’s 22 years old and in a transition period on a team, few expect him to get the job done overnight. But this season can serve as another important bridge year between the player he was and the player he could be.

Power forward/center Precious Achiuwa (from Port Harcourt, Nigeria) and small forward/shooting guard OG Anunoby (of Nigerian descent) were two key additions to the New York Knicks roster midway through last season, coming from the Raptors. They’ve had a strong start, but their mission will be to play a bigger role throughout the season and play a role in the pursuit of the championship.

Bol Bol of the Phoenix Suns missed the opportunity to showcase his incredible talent at the Olympics for South Sudan due to personal reasons. However, if he reaches his full potential, the 7-foot-3 center/power forward could play a larger role for the Phoenix Suns.

It’s not just established NBA names with ties to Africa that could impress this season, but also some new faces.

Of the 2024 draft class, Alexandre Sarr may be the player of African descent who will have the biggest immediate impact.

Sarr, whose father Massar is a former Senegalese professional basketball player, was widely expected to be the first pick in this year’s draft but was ultimately selected second by the Washington Wizards.

Last season he averaged 9.4 points per game (PPG), 4.3 rebounds per game (RPG) and 1.5 blocks per game (BPG) for the Perth Wildcats.

Cameroonian draft picks Yves Missi (New Orleans Pelicans) and Ulrich Chomche will be two interesting prospects to keep an eye on this season, although it is unclear to what extent they will be thrown in at the deep end.

Missi, who was born in Belgium but grew up in Yaoundé, impressed in the preseason after being selected 21st overall by Baylor. Meanwhile, Bafang-born Chomche – the first player drafted by the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal – showed promising signs at the NBA Summer League.

The NBA is broadcast on ESPN in sub-Saharan Africa – DStv channels 218 and 219 and Starsat 248. You can also play ESPN’s Fantasy Basketball by signing up here.